Three Cheese Proscuitto Alfredo Baked Ravoli

One of my favorite food blog is Culinary Concoctions by Peabody and that's where I found this excellent recipe. I made a half version, but it was outstanding. MotH loved it.*

Three Cheese Prosciutto Alfredo Baked Ravioli


1 Jar (26oz) San Marzano marinara sauce (you can use your favorite)
2 pounds store-bought fresh three cheese ravioli
1 batch Prosciutto Alfredo Sauce (see below)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top (pasta will continue to cook in oven). Drain pasta; return to pot. Make the Alfredo sauce.
Spoon some marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13 inch baking dish. Layer one layer of cooked ravioli. Spoon over 1/3 of the Alfredo sauce. Then spoon over a thin layer of
the marinara sauce. Sprinkle with ½ cup mozzarella, and 1/8 cup Parmesan. Repeat until you get to the top of the baking dish. Cheese on top should be the last layer. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.


Prosciutto Alfredo Sauce:

4 ounces Prosciutto, small dice
6 TBSP unsalted butter
2 tsp. chopped garlic
6 TBSP flour
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups milk
8 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated


In a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add prosciutto pieces and cook for two minutes. Turn heat down to medium and add the butter and garlic and let sauté for one minute. Then add the flour and stirring the whole time sauté another minute. It will be clumpy at this point. Add the cup of heavy cream and the milk, whisking the whole time. Turn up to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. The minute you get to the boil. Turn down to low-medium and add the cheese, whisking the whole time. When cheese is completely melted and sauce is smooth (minus the prosciutto pieces) the sauce is ready.


*Man of the House

Reuben Casserole

Reuben Casserole
1 1/2 cups thousand island dressing
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon minced onion
6 slices dark rye bread, cubed
6 slices light rye bread, cubed
1 pound sauerkraut, drained
1 1/2 pounds corn beef, cut into bite-size pieces
2 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup margarine, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a bowl, mix the thousand island dressing, sour cream, and onion. Arrange the dark and light rye bread cubes in the bottom of the prepared baking dish, reserving about 1/2 cup each for topping. Layer the bread with sauerkraut and corned beef. Spread the dressing mixture
over the corned beef. Sprinkle with Swiss cheese, top with remaining bread cubes, and drizzle with margarine.
Cover, and bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and continue baking 10 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Homemade 1000 Island Dressing

Bench Notes: I make my own 1000 Island dressing - an idea from, who, imagine that, America's Test Kitchen (join them now) from their reuben sandwich recipe - a mix of mayo, chili sauce and minced gerkins - it is unbelievable. I won't ever by 1000 again. This is so easy, it's almost stupid. 
If you like a reuben sandwich, you will love this and it reheats very well - lovely left over lunch.

Our New Friend

Last year was horrible with the loss of my little (in comparison to Duke) Husky boy, but I now have a new friend... He's still a puppy and he has a lot to learn since he's going to be a therapy dog for me to take into hospitals and other places, but I am so pleased with our new friend - Hood.

He's half Border Collie, half Labrador Retriever and way too smart for his own good and way too smart for me too. He's 70 pounds and not even a year yet. I think Duke hates me at this point. They get along, but sometimes Duke looks at me and it's like why the hell did you do this to me? Groan - yes,  he's a very smart puppy. And yes, one eye is blue and one is brown and he has Border Collie ears  - too cute.

Music I cook by ...

When Somebody Loves you, there is nothing you can't do.

Public Enemy

Robert Pollard at his best (and worst)!

Guided by Voices - Alien Lanes
Klezmatics - Jews with Horns
Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark
Public Enemy - It takes a Nation of Millions to hold us Back
Elvis Costello - King of America
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Alan Jackson - When Somebody Loves You


Could you get anymore strange a compilation of music than this? Love it!

My Favorite Klezmer

Have no idea when this came out, but I love it!

He thought he was the king of America

Splashing all the wine with the Rain Dogs

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

Homemade Breakfast Sausage (America's Test Kitchen)
2 pounds ground pork
1 garlic clove
1 Tbs maple syrup
2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 Tbs unsalted butter, for cooking


Combine pork, garlic, syrup, sage, thyme, salt and pepper and cayenne in a large bowl. Gently mix with your hands until well combined. Form mixture into 2 1/2 inch patties, about 1/2 inch thick.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook half of patties until well browned and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate and tent with foil. Wipe out skillet. Repeat wiht remaining butter and patties. Serve.

Raw sausage patties can be refrigerated, covered, for 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month. To cook frozen patties, proceed with step 2 cooking patties for 7 to 9 minutes per side.

Bench Notes: Added cracked fennel seed. If you have limited funds for kitchen ideas - you need to take them and subscribe to America's Test Kitchen online recipes - it's so worth the money. I'm not kidding. 

Interested in books...

I've moved my book blogging to threedayread@blogspot.com. Check it out in the next few days for more book thoughts and reviews. Recipes and gardening will remain at Citivolus Sus... 

Thin Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1/4 cup water
1 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups toasted pecans, roughly chopped


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.
Cream together the butter and both sugars. Add eggs, vanilla and water. In a bowl, combine flour cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Fluff together with a fork. Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture, then oatmeal and pecans.
Scoop out a rounded tablespoon of dough spacing them about 3 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes or until golden. Cool for a few minutes before carefully removing from parchment to a rack. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.


Bench Notes: Sometimes I add sultans to the mix. I call them breakfast cookies, because I don't feel bad eathing them for breakfast - they have oatmeal in them after all. I also use walnuts more often than pecans. Come to think of it dried cranberries would be good in this too.

Time Change

Okay, I gave up cussing for Lent, but the time change is really pushing my limits. Dang it. Hate the time change. we'll not really because it will now be lighter in the evening, but I don't like to lose an hour. Especially since I have to travel a time zone east this week. The cosmos is ganging up on me. 

Cheddar Cayenne Coins

Cheddar Cayenne Coins
6 oz. all-purpose flour
3 oz. finely shredded sharp Cheddar
1 Tbs salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne
4 oz. unsalted butter, cut into cubes, chilled
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbs water
1.5 oz. finely chopped walnuts


Combine flour, cheese, salt, and cayenne in a food processor. Process until just blended. Add the butter pieces and pulse until the dough resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the yolk and water together with a fork and drizzle over the mixture. Pulse until the dough begins to form small moist crumbs. Add the chopped nuts and pulse briefly until the crumbs begin to come together.
Pile the moist crumbs on an un-floured surface. With the heel of your hand, push and smear the crumbs until they start to come together in a cohesive dough. Shape into a 14" long log that's 1.25 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours, or up to two days.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Using a thin, sharp knife, cut the log into scant 1/4 inch slices. Arrange about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until medium to deep golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets as needed for even baking. Cool on a rack. When completely cook, store in an airtight container.


Bench Notes: I have no idea why I got this from, but, thanks to Google, I now know. Apparently from Fine Cooking. I've been making these since 2008 and really love the flavor and texture of these little crackers, You can also use a mix of half Parmesan and half Cheddar, but I prefer the straight up Cheddar. Mine are never coins, they end up squares, but they still taste good. They can be a bit salty, so I often cut back on the salt.
Round Two of the cracker challenge....  This is Round One of the cracker challenge here. 

Asparagus Soup with Parmesan Custards

Asparagus Soup with Parmesan Custards
Gourmet | April 2002
yield: Makes 6 servings


For custards
2 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, coarsely grated (1 1/4 cups)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 whole large egg
2 large egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pinch of white pepper
Special equipment: 6 (2-oz) ramekins

For soup
1 large leek (white and pale green parts only), finely chopped (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup heavy cream

Make custards: Bring cheese, cream, and milk just to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and steep, covered, 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 300°F. Pour steeped cream through a very fine sieve into a bowl, pressing lightly on cheese solids and discarding them. Whisk together whole egg, yolks, salt, and white pepper in another bowl, then add steeped cream in a stream, whisking until smooth. Divide among well-buttered ramekins.

Set ramekins in a baking pan and bake in a hot water bath in middle of oven until centers of custards are completely set, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer ramekins to a rack and cool 5 minutes (do not allow to cool longer, or custards will stick to ramekins).
Make soup while cream steeps and custards bake: Wash chopped leek in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well. Cook leek, shallot, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in butter in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until leek is softened, about 3 minutes. Add asparagus, broth, and water and simmer, covered, until asparagus is just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. After 2 to 4 minutes, remove 6 asparagus tips, halve lengthwise and reserve for garnish.
Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Transfer to a large bowl, then pour through a sieve into cleaned pot. Stir in cream, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste and heat over moderately low heat until hot.
Serve soup with custards:
Working with 1 custard at a time, run a thin knife around edge of each to loosen it, then invert a soup bowl over ramekin and invert custard into bowl. Repeat with remaining custards. Ladle soup around custards and garnish with reserved asparagus tips and  parmesan curls.

Bench Notes: Once again, I did not do the whole garnish thing. Perhaps if this were for company, but since it's just for us... The taste of the custard is pure Parmesan and the texture is silky. I haven't made custard or pudding in ages, so I was a little concerned, but ... easy as can be. This isn't the asparagus soup you'll make lots, but it's worth the effort when something elegant is called for. Just sublime.